A Nordic nation is the world’s happiest country for the ninth year in a row
By Jeanne Bonner, CNN
(CNN) — If happiness were an Olympic event, the Nordic countries would be a guaranteed a spot on the podium.
Actually, all three spots on the podium.
According to the latest edition of the World Happiness Report, the three happiest countries in the world are Finland, Iceland and Denmark.
Finland was named the happiest country in the world for a record 9th time in a row, with Iceland, at No. 2, and Denmark in third place in the ranking, which is compiled by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, and included in the annual report on global happiness.
Costa Rica had a strong showing, coming in at No. 4 — the highest ranking ever for a country from Latin America — but then it’s back to Nordic countries, with Sweden and Norway capturing the 5th and 6th places, respectively. Three other countries in Europe appear in the top 10: the Netherlands at No. 7, Luxembourg at No. 9 and Switzerland at No. 10.
Israel, the only country in the Middle East in the top 20, captured No. 8.
The US is in 23rd place this year, while Canada took the 25th spot, and the UK ranked 29th. This is the second consecutive year that none of the native English-speaking countries — the US, New Zealand, Ireland, Australia, Canada or the UK — appear in the top 10.
To determine the ranking, the Gallup World Poll asks respondents in 147 countries to evaluate their lives using the image of a ladder, with the best possible life as a 10 and the worst possible as a 0. Each respondent provides a numerical response on this scale, referred to as the Cantril Ladder.
Researchers look at six factors including GDP per capita, life expectancy, generosity and perceptions of freedom and corruption to help account for variations among countries. The rankings are based on a three-year average, which smooths out spikes and dips occasioned by big events such as war or financial downturns.
The Finns reported an average score of 7.764 to evaluate their life satisfaction.
Finland’s deep commitment to cooperation helps explain its staying power at the top of the ranking, John F. Helliwell, professor emeritus of economics at the University of British Columbia and a founding editor of the World Happiness Report, said in an interview.
“Successful societies cooperate in the face of adversity,” he said. “The Finns know this. And once you have the sense that you are in this together, there’s no end to what you can do.”
By comparison, respondents from the US had a life evaluation rating of 6.816 on average.
Youth crisis
The report’s writers have begun to pay attention to what they consider a crisis in youth happiness, first mentioned in the 2024 ranking.
In the latest edition, the survey found life evaluations among respondents under age 25 in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have dropped by almost one full point on the scale of 0 to 10 over the last decade, a dramatic slide especially since the average satisfaction for young people in the rest of the world has increased, according to Gallup World Poll data.
“That’s a striking drop in youth wellbeing,” Helliwell said. “One of the culprits, especially in the US, is the extent and nature of social media use.”
But, the survey warns, “negative emotions are becoming more common in all global regions.”
Only three out of the six English-speaking countries made it into the top 20, despite being among the wealthiest countries in the world. New Zealand fared the best, coming in at No. 11, followed by Ireland at No. 13 and Australia at No. 15.
Internet consumption is high virtually everywhere, and that includes social media, the survey found.
But a key factor in the sharp drop in youth happiness, researchers said, is the number of hours young people spend consuming social media or gaming. And while experts say it’s important to limit time spent with the Internet overall, some ways of spending time online are healthier than others, including communicating with loved ones, and learning new skills.
To wit, Helliwell said social media use is high among Latin American youth but their wellbeing is strong and growing.
He pointed to “the way you use social media,” and added that a key question is “if they are really social media or anti-social media.”
A certain amount of Internet and social media consumption wasn’t necessarily negative, he said, saying, “There seems to be a sweet spot.”
“You don’t want to be unconnected but you don’t want to be too connected,” he said. “With the Internet, too much is a bad thing.”
Complex picture of global wellbeing
Some trends aren’t necessarily surprising or new, regardless of social media impacts. The countries at the bottom of the ranking, for example, are often where there’s significant geopolitical conflict. For example, Afghanistan came in last, at No. 147, preceded by Sierra Leone.
And rich countries tended to continue to fare well, even if some of the wealthiest failed to make the top 20. The United Arab Emirates appears at No. 21, and Saudi Arabia captured No. 22, just in front of the US.
Nonetheless, the emerging picture of happiness is a complex one, and while there are many factors to consider, the migration to a digital means of producing and consuming information is key.
“The digital age is reshaping the social and emotional foundations of wellbeing in Europe,” Zeynep Ozkok, an economist at St. Francis Xavier University, said in statement that accompanied the ranking.
“The effects are neither uniform nor inevitable: they depend on who you are, the social world you inhabit, and the digital environment surrounding you. Understanding these interactions is essential for developing policies that support wellbeing in an increasingly online society.”
Where your lost wallet is returned untouched
While the specter of social media overuse looms, the study’s authors aren’t pessimistic. That’s partly because countries around the world have begun to enact measures aimed at safeguarding youth from the perils of social media.
Helliwell also derives hope from researchers’ abilities to identify trends that shape global happiness, which underscore the fundamentals. In the countries that are happiest, the people haven’t lost sight of what’s important.
Look at something like locating the best place to lose your wallet. Needless to say, it’s Finland.
“Everyone loves to live where they expect to have their wallet returned full,” Helliwell said.
It’s also not surprising that the Nordic countries continue to dominate the survey, which is in its 14th year. Those countries, situated in Northern Europe, have strong healthcare and educational systems that provide crucial safeguards for tumultuous modern life.
But Helliwell said it’s important not to lose sight of the goodness most people possess, even beyond the countries ranked at the top.
“The world is full of kind strangers,” he said. “If you know that, it affects you in every way.”
The world’s 10 happiest countries in 2026
(1) Finland
(2) Iceland
(3) Denmark
(4) Costa Rica
(5) Sweden
(6) Norway
(7) Netherlands
(8) Israel
(9) Luxembourg
(10) Switzerland
At the bottom of the list
Afghanistan remained the unhappiest country in the world, at No. 147, according to the ranking. The other countries at the bottom of the list are as follows: Botswana (No. 143), Zimbabwe (No. 144), Malawi (No. 145) and Sierra Leone (No. 146)
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